EDITORIAL: It is reported that Mr Altaf Gauhar, who was arrested on Wednesday [Feb 14] night under the Defence of Pakistan Rules, is being kept in solitary confinement, has bare floor to sleep on and is being denied the facility of the supply of special diet he was taking under medical advice before his incarceration. This will cause concern to the wide circle of his acquaintances, besides his family and friends. It has also not been possible for his relatives to know what class, if any, has been given to him in jail. …

Propriety and decency demand that the authorities should clarify the situation and let the people know whether a person who is being held in custody pending a trial is being treated properly and in consideration of his status. The appropriate authorities at the higher level owe it to the people either to deny the reports which bespeak maltreatment or to rectify the situation promptly. Surely they cannot take the plea that these matters concern only the lower functionaries. The case is not an ordinary one. It has attracted much public attention. So the responsibility for lapses, if any, should be manfully owned up by the authorities at the highest level. The sooner the full facts are made known the better for everybody.

Published in Dawn, February 19th, 2023